


In Vino Veritas

by moovelope



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 02:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moovelope/pseuds/moovelope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“You know, you’re a lot like Rose, she could really hold her liquor.  Though, at the time, so could I,” he said.  River stiffened next to him.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>"And who's Rose?"</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	In Vino Veritas

             She cornered him in a shop down the road from Amy and Rory’s house the first time she asked.  He had been going through the aisles, marveling at the small odds and ends that humans found necessary for survival this century when he bumped clean into her.

            “I’m sorry about that!  Flavored toothpastes, you know how it is,” he began, before he realized who he had hit.  The huge tangle of curls and the small grin were unmistakable.

            “Oh sweetie, aren’t there more interesting things than toothpaste?” River asked, laughing.  He grimaced.

            “How dare you suggest such a thing?” he replied, mock upset.  “Come to visit the parents?”

            She shrugged, “I might, I might not.  I was looking at this lovely restaurant down the road, it will burn down in two weeks and I thought I should check it out before it goes up in smoke.  Care to join me?”

            He glanced wistfully at the full array of deodorant he had yet to admire.  “I suppose.  Do you have any cash on you?  I’m a bit short.”

            "You’re always short cash.  And don’t worry, I managed to acquire some money on the way here,” she said, winking.  The Doctor swallowed and fixed his impeccable bowtie.

            “Well then, lead the way.”

.-.-.

            The restaurant was a small Italian place, uncomfortable plastic booths lined the walls and the wallpaper was peeling in several places.  Yet, the smell upon opening the door was heavenly, and the Doctor quickly took a seat.  River sat across from him, smiling at the waitress who handed them their menus. 

            “It’s a pity that Italian food went out of style before the humans started to really space travel.  You can’t find a decent pasta dish anywhere in the universe,” he flipped through the pages as he spoke.

            “Well, I think I know a few,” River said, smirking into her drink.

            “River Song, pasta and pizza expert extraordinaire, the whole galaxy over,” he joked.

            The waitress came back and took their orders.  The Doctor sipped on his diet Coke as River jotted things down in her notebook.  He shot an eyebrow up at her.

            “Oh, just making sure I’ve got some details down right.  Nothing to worry about.”

            He nodded slowly, a bit wary of the blue book that held her (and his) future.  “So what have you been up to recently?”

            “A bit of this and that, visited the Egyptian pyramids as they were being built, might have gotten a nice sculpture of myself done in one of them.  I may or may not have toppled a government in the Hurxchec sector in 600 years, but that’s neither here nor there.  And anything past that?  Spoilers,” she said.

            Once their food arrived they ate and chatted with gusto, digging into the dishes. 

            “This is wonderful, Doctor.  It’s almost like a date, sharing a meal without getting shot at or fearing that the food is poisoned.  Not that I mind those times, but a little romance works for me as well,” she said.  The Doctor tugged at his collar a bit.

            “Ah, hmm, yes a date that’s what this is, I suppose!  A perfectly normal date with River Song, wow.  First time for everything,” he muttered.  He missed the look that shot across her face, as he became far too engrossed in his bendy straw swirling around in his drink.

            “Oh look at you all fidgety.  Honestly Doctor, you’re 1050 years old—.”

            “I’m 1007, thank you very much,” he interjected.

            “Alright, 1007.  The fact of the matter is that you are a millennium old.  There must have been someone before me, what with all of those young things you had traveling with you.  Come on and tell me about them, a girl sure does wonder about exes,” she said.  He didn’t reply.  “Doctor?”

            He sat rigid in his seat looking down at his plate.  His jaw clenched and he took a deep breath in through his nose.  After a moment he looked up, his gaze boring through her.

            “River, you’re asking me about the people that I’ve loved, and the people that I’ve lost, and treating it like casual gossip?  Yes.  There were others before you, and I think that’s all you need to know,” he said.  She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.  “It was nice seeing you.  You’ve got the check, right?  I’ll be going, then.”

            He stood and quickly left the restaurant, hands shaking in his pockets.  He managed to get back into the TARDIS without incidence.  As he walked in he went to throw his trench coat on one of the coral pillars, then froze when he realized that he was a regeneration and a desktop past that.  He sat heavily in one of the seats.

            “One hundred years and you still aren’t over it,” he muttered to himself.  He sat, lost in his thoughts for a long time afterwards.

.-.-.

            The next time she asked it was better.  While time might not heal all wounds it certainly became easier to ignore their pains.  He wore a tux as she stood splendidly in a long billowy gown on the balcony of some Tireptic governor’s house.  The party inside was slowing down and many of the guests were heading home for the evening.  River leaned heavily against the thick concrete railing, swirling her Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster absently.  The Doctor hiccupped as he sipped the last of his white wine.  The two moons were going down over the horizon, seemingly colliding into each other.  He hoped they weren’t, he didn’t want to fix that problem while tipsy.

            “Tonight was wonderful,” River said, still looking towards the sky.

            “It was, wasn’t it?  That, that thing you did, to sneak us in.  Would you mind teaching me that?” he asked, going to lean beside her.  She looked at him.

            “Oh, but I learned it from you, Doctor.  You’ll pick up the light hypnotism somewhere down the line,” she assured him.  He sighed.

            “Waiting,” he said, as though it were a curse.  She laughed.  He hummed absentmindedly as River chugged the last of her drink.  “You know, you’re a lot like Rose, she could really hold her liquor.  Though, at the time, so could I,” he said.  River stiffened next to him.

            "And who's Rose?" she asked hesitantly, looking at the Doctor with a dazed look on her face.

            "Rose! Rose was, she was fantastic," he said, laughing.  "Fantastic! I used to say that all the time when I met her. Sort of my catch phrase, I guess!  Rose helped me, after the time war, wonderful woman.  She was so _human_ , you know? She had this brilliant smile, did something with her tongue wait, let me try—,” he said, attempting to replicate it.  River grimaced at the display.

            “I hope it didn’t look like that,” River said.

            “Well I can’t get it right but, trust me, it was such a lovely smile,” he said.  “Oh, and Rose, she was different.  You once asked me if I had cared for any of my companions before you, well I cared for all of them, obviously, but Rose was…more.”

            “I don’t remember asking you that.  I’ll look forward to putting you on the spot,” she said, trying to make light of things.  The Doctor shook his head.

            “Well no, actually, it rather upset me.  I apologize for that, I kind of ran out on you after that.  Rude of me.  Just.  It’s difficult, remembering,” he rambled, placing his empty glass away from him so he wouldn’t knock it over.  He then turned around and heaved himself up onto the thick railing of the balcony, swaying his feet slightly.

            “If you fall and crack your head I will laugh straight through your regeneration,” she warned.  He waved her away.

            “I won’t fall, trust me!” he assured her before he began to sway backwards.  She quickly caught him by the sleeve.

            "You really do get pissed when you drink, don't you?  We should get you back to the TARDIS."

            "No!  I am reminiscing here.  Tough," he said, poking her shoulder in defiance.  She sighed affectionately.

            "Alright then, go on," she urged him.

            "So yes, beautiful smile, she was all pink and yellow and humany.  The first day I met he she saved my life.  And several times after that too!  She knocked anti-plastic into the Nestene Consciousness for me.  She pointed out my mistakes when I was too arrogant to admit I could make them.  She destroyed a whole fleet of Dalek ships using—.”

           "She did what?" River interrupted, utterly shocked.  The Doctor grinned.

           "A _whole_ Dalek fleet erased right from existence!  She took the time vortex into her head and managed to harness it.  She also- wait.  Have you met Jack?" he paused abruptly.  She pursed her lips together, hiding a smirk.

            "Spoilers, dear," she answered.  He rolled his eyes in response.

            "Well, if you have met him, you know his...condition?  Rose did that," he continued.  The glass in River's hand dropped and cracked on the concrete railing.

            "No," she said, eyes wide.

            "Yes!  And after that I kissed her, had to take the time vortex out of her before it burned her up," he said proudly.  He ran his hand over his head and through his hair, looking momentarily confused.  "I was bald then."

            “An odd way to start a relationship,” River teased.  He shrugged.

            “Well, she didn’t remember it, actually.  She woke up on the TARDIS as we were leaving and was confused, couldn’t remember anything after opening up the heart of the TARDIS.  Probably startled her with the regeneration, too.”

            River looked at his sharply.  “She saw you regenerate?”

            “She did!  She thought I was some imposter, or something.  That hurt a bit, actually.  Can you imagine?  The person you love looking at you and not recognizing you at all?”

            It took him a moment to realize River hadn’t replied.  He looked at her, quirking an eyebrow.  She was looking at him oddly, he thought.  She blinked a few times and came back to herself.

            "I-I can’t even imagine.  I hope I never have to experience that,” she paused, taking a moment to brush the broken glass off the balcony into the garden below.  Still looking down she asked, “So, you got together after that, then?" He pulled a face.

           "She didn’t remember a minute of it, so not at that point.  She might have had a boyfriend at the time, I suppose," he added, looking a bit guilty.  River let out a surprise snort.  
            "Oh you home wrecker! I never thought you had it in you, you Cassanova you."

            He fidgeted on his perch on the railing.  "Well, she broke up with him.  Eventually.  Actually he got locked in a parallel universe.  So..."

            River was laughing uproariously by then.  The Doctor huffed as she wiped tears from her eyes.  "Look, you've made my mascara run,” she complained, attempting to catch her breath, “I never expected your love life to be so filled with drama!  Getting rid of her boyfriend like that, for shame—.”

           "Hey! Hey no! He _chose_ to stay there, thank you very much. They had broken up by then, I think.  Probably.  And after that, yes we were together," he said, a smile covering his face.  "That year and a half together—.”

           "A year?" River interrupted.  "Only a year and some months, while we’ve known each other for decades.  Decades for me, at least,” she mused.  “What happened between you two?"

            He was silent for a while, looking down at his hands.  He swallowed and tried to speak, his voice catching.  He cleared his throat and then laughed softly.

           "You would think 200 years would be enough to get over it, wouldn't you?" he said, voice sounding hoarse.  River shifted from beside him to stand in front of his perch on the railing.  She gently put her hands over his clenched ones.

           "Tell me."

            He looked her in the eye, finally.  "I… I don't know if I can River—.”

            "Tell me," she said more firmly.  He moved his hands out from under hers so he could get a grip on hers.

            "I lost her.  I watched as she nearly got sucked into the void.  But, at the last second, she managed to get into the parallel universe Mickey—.”

           "Mickey?"

           "The idiot boyfriend.  But, her father from that universe was able to grab her and he saved her.  And, at the time, there was no way back to her.  But I got to say goodbye," he said, voice tight.  He slowly released the tight grip he had established on her hands and took a deep breath.  "And well, I was a bit wobbly after that.  But I met Donna and she helped set me right.  And, I moved on."

            The two were silent on the balcony after that, the Doctor slowly running his thumbs up and down River’s palms.  The green sun was beginning to rise far in south.

            “You said, at the time there was no way back to her,” River said finally, “Did you manage to find her again?”

            The Doctor’s fingers halted and he looked up to her face.  “She found me,” he said, a small grin pulling at his lips, “The stars were going out across the universes—.”

            “Doctor, I don’t remember that happening—,” she began to interrupt.

            “Of course you don’t.  Actually, I don’t know why no one remembers that, but let me finish.  She saw that the stars were going out everywhere, and thought the only way to stop them was to come and get my help.  She, and that universe’s version of Torchwood built a dimension cannon.  A dimension cannon, River!  She jumped through universes to find me,” he said, his smile now filling his face.  “I got to see her again, it was-.  It was probably one of the happiest moments of my life.”

            River shifted once more to stand beside him, gently pulling her hands from his grasp. “Then, if you had her once again, why did you let her go?” she asked.  He sighed.

            “Well, things got a bit complicated, got captured by the creator of the Daleks, accidentally made a meta-crisis version of myself after nearly dying.  You know, the usual,” he explained.  River snorted.  “And, this copy of myself that I made.  He only had one heart.  He was me, but with a human life span.  And, I thought, wouldn’t he be better for her?  I…I would have gladly taken her along with me, for the rest of her life, even though I would have had to watch her slowly wither away with age as she watched me remain the same.  But, the two of them could spend the rest of their lives with each other.  So, I left her, and my duplicate self, with her family in the other universe,” he said, voice carefully flat.

            “You didn’t give her a choice about it, did you?” River asked.  The Doctor opened his mouth to defend himself.  “You never change, do you?” she cut him off.  He floundered for a bit before sighing.

            “It was a bit selfish of me.  But, they’re happy in that alternate universe together, and I got to move on and let things go.  If I didn’t do that every once and a while I’d go crazy, I think.”

            She leaned over and kissed his cheek, making him jump.  “You’re an idiot,” she said with a soft laugh.  He frowned.

            “I am one of the most intelligent beings in the universe, certainly smarter than—.”

            “You know what I mean.  Come on, the governor is going to realize we weren’t on the guest list soon.  Let’s get back to the TARDIS, before the security comes.”

            He huffed in annoyance and slid off the railing, landing in an undignified heap.  River sighed and helped him up.

            “Meant to do that,” he muttered into her hair as she supported him.

            “Of course, sweetie,” she replied.  They staggered through the house, dodging a few lax security guards sweeping for lingering guests.  The Doctor had nearly fallen asleep by the time they reached the TARDIS.  River had to prop him up against the side as she fumbled with the key.  Her drink was finally starting to catch up to her.

            “Hey, River,” the Doctor muttered into the wood paneling.  She shoved him a bit in response.

            “You can get yourself in here, come on,” she urged, walking into the TARDIS without him.  He groaned and slowly followed after her.  She began to set the dematerialization sequence as the Doctor slumped up next to her.

            “Thanks,” he said, watching her fingers fly across the console.  She glanced at him.

            “With you drunk like this you’d likely send us into the heart of an exploding star.  I’m driving for our own safety here.”

            “No, no.  I meant thanks.  For listening.  About Rose and that other stuff.  I haven’t talked about her for a very long time,” he explained.  River flicked the last switch and turned to him.  She cupped her hand on his cheek.

            “You’re welcome.  Just know, if she ever comes back she’ll have to deal with me,” she said, before leaning in to give him a quick kiss.  He chuckled.

            “More like you’d have to deal with her,” he joked.  She swatted his arm before heading further into the TARDIS.  He watched her head towards the bedrooms before fiddling with the console some to see what settings she had put it on.

            “Aren’t you coming?” River called from down the hall.  He jumped and fumbled with the controls accidentally, almost sending them into the depths of a nearby ocean.

            “Why?” he called back, “You’re only going to sleep off those drinks.  I’m not tired.”

            She poked her head back into the console room.  “Neither am I, dear.”

            The Doctor flushed and watched as she headed back down the hall.  He gulped and ran his hands through his hair a few times, making it look far worse and bedraggled.  He undid his bowtie and left it on the console, as it was far safer there.

            “Ah, um coming!” he called and sprinted down the hall after River.


End file.
